SÄKAPHEN and Donelli: joining forces for heat exchanger protection
Si 14 E
This is the story of how our Italian partner was selected by one of the largest civil engineering and construction companies in Europe for its excellent heat exchanger protection service, and how it successfully tackled the project together with SÄKAPHEN.
SÄKAPHEN and Donelli Alexo, part of Gruppo Donelli (Legnano, Italy), have been partners for over 20 years now: the former as a manufacturer of industrial anti-corrosion and protective coatings and linings and the latter as an authorized applicator of high-performance solutions for safeguarding assets. Together, they have decades of expertise in the most diverse industries, including heat exchangers, tanks, pipelines, and high-voltage insulators, across various environments, from marine areas to refineries, worldwide.
Gruppo Donelli, in particular, maintains strong ties with the French market. “Recently, this has led us to land a significant order from one of the largest civil engineering construction companies in France (and Europe), which we tackled using one of SÄKAPHEN’s flagship products to ensure outstanding results,” explained Alessandro Vanacore, Head of Technical Sales at Donelli Alexo.
Project challenges and requirements
As part of an important public project in a waste-to-energy plant with strict requirements in terms of both performance and documentation, the task involved refurbishing and reapplying a protective coating on 6 finned-tube air coolers.
The systems were 6 m long, 1 m high and 0.5 m wide. As they were used for cooling down fumes at an operating temperature of 140 °C (230 °C Tmax), their surfaces were contaminated with oils and grease, which posed a risk of clogging their finned tubes and, therefore, causing a loss of performance or even plant stoppages. Donelli Alexo was thus required to clean and re-coatthem torestore their original functionality and extend their service life.
The surface preparation and coating application process
Donelli Alexo started with a chemical cleaning phase of the air coolers to remove oil, grease and any other contaminants. “The specific surface preparation process implemented is the result of years of experience and extensive testing with a specialist partner to define the best possible treatment protocol,” pointed out Vanacore. Simultaneously, casings and manifolds underwent dry cleaning with micro glass beads.
“Finally, we applied a protective coating from SÄKAPHEN in 3 layers, performing the necessary intermediate and final polymerization stages to achieve the required dry film thickness (DFT) of 75 µm.”
SÄKAPHEN Si 14 E is ideal for heat exchangers
“The protective coating chosen for this high-stake project was Si 14 E, one of our flagship products,” noted Christoph Fischer-Zernin, Commercial Director at SÄKAPHEN.
Si 14 E is a one-component, phenolic-based, thermosetting coating with excellent hydrophobic properties and chemical resistance to organic and inorganic acids, salt solutions, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, fume gases, alcohols and cooling water. It is also resistant to temperature fluctuations and forms a very hard yet elastic surface that effectively prevents caking, fouling and incrustation.
“For the customer, this meant that the 6 finned-tube air coolers could be quickly brought back into service, perfectly restored, protected, and ready to ensure many further years of smooth operation, with clear financial but also environmental benefits,” Fischer-Zernin stated with great satisfaction. “We could not offer such a service of excellence without our authorized applicators worldwide, and Gruppo Donelli is one of our longest-standing and most trusted partners.”
Summary of key benefits
- Long-term corrosion protection of critical assets
- High temperature-resistant lining
- Certified application and fast turnaround
- Reduced operational downtime
- Reduced maintenance costs
- Improved energy efficiency and lower environmental impact
- Trusted by major industrial clients across Europe.
Whether you operate in power generation, petrochemical processing, or the chemical industry, we have the right coating solution for your application.
Reach out to our team to find the best lining for your equipment.
